Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Director at ACDI/VOCA

The activity will address innovative solutions to sustainable economic growth, enhancing private sector growth through small and medium enterprises (SMEs), expanding investment opportunities, and supporting small and medium business owners to efficiently utilize finance in order to support business growth. The project’s anticipated focus will be to mobilize financing for investment in agriculture value chains, clean energy, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities in Kenya to enhance inclusive, sustainable economic growth while advancing USAID’s priorities in SMEs, county-led development, cross-border trade, youth, and entrepreneurship. The activity will work to facilitate an enabling environment for private sector financing through policy reform, including investment policies under Kenya’s devolved governance structure. Finally, the activity will manage and provide oversight of the DCA portfolio to increase its utilization by participating Kenyan financial institutions.

• Provide overall vision, leadership and guidance of the project’s MEL approach for project staff in Kenya, partnering organizations, host governments, investors, other donors, and stakeholders.
• Serve as KIM’s internal leader for MEL, including both monitoring of performance and implementation and sharing of lessons learned.
• Assisting the Chief of Party in building strong relationships and heavily integrating and coordinating with other USAID implementing partners focused in the targeted technical areas, where appropriate and as directed by USAID, potentially including but not limited to collaborative work planning.
• Coordinate with USAID to document and report qualitative data to measure impact according to required and proposed indicators”; provide frequent oral presentations to USAID and other requested stakeholders on lessons learned and ways to increase synergies amongst stakeholders.
• Develop, prioritize and capture metrics that measure the beneficial social or environmental impact of investment activity.
• Design and implement a beneficiary tracking database system to collect, process and manage project data.
• Use M&E indicators to report on project quarterly, semiannually and annually.
• Track and analyze project indicators and other useful statistics and prepare high-quality and timely reports using the recommended formats and communication channels.
• Participate in evaluations, selected research activities and baseline surveys by providing the necessary program and organizational support.
• Actively participate in the knowledge management system to capture relevant formal and informal information that will inform decisions, support project reporting requirements and foster learning within the project.
• Assist the Chief of Party in implementing an adaptive management style which will allow the project to review activities and abandon, modify, or redefine them in order to achieve the desired outcomes.
• Participate in knowledge-capture events that include staff and partner exchanges, staff-to-staff exchanges, regular regional staff meetings and regular all-staff meetings.
• Manage the process of project learning to ensure knowledge and learning is effectively shared and applied throughout the activity’s offices and activities.
• Organize and facilitate regular staff meetings (regional, cross regional, and national) to share experiences and lessons, and brainstorm ways to apply new learning.
• Support and guide design of interventions to increase the flow and effectiveness of information based on assessments allowing for ongoing shifts.
• Coordinate regularly with ACDI/VOCA’s headquarters office in Washington, DC, especially the program management M&E teams.

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in in the design and operation of monitoring and evaluation systems. Experience in consulting, corporate strategy and planning, international development, knowledge management, CLA or learning agenda management, or a combination of the above is a plus.
• Previous experience as an MEL or CLA Director, Knowledge Manager, or similar senior management position for projects with similar magnitude and complexity in developing countries is preferred.
• Experience with USAID programs and knowledge of USAID rules and regulations desired.
• Previous experience working in Kenya or East Africa strongly preferred.
• Ideal candidates will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the USAID MEL and CLA Framework and Policy and the challenges and opportunities that projects face in implementing this approach and innovative solutions and ideas for ensuring success.
• Demonstrated ability to apply analytical methods practically in the complex setting of the day-to-day lives of project beneficiaries highly preferred.
• Ability to show progressive advancement in his/her career.
• A positive attitude and willingness to adaptively manage projects and partners in complex environments.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Fluency in English required.